Cheating Destiny
by Lady Maggie
Summary: Matt's an FBI Agent who is tracking an extremly interesting cat burglar. He also meets a mysterious woman at a crime scene and is quite shocked by her reaction towards him. What will happen? Read and find out! DUH! R+R
1. Cheating Destiny

Authors Note: Wow I'm on a Mimato role now! Yes, that's right, another Mimato! Just to tell you hardly any of the digidestined ever met in this story, and none of them have ever been to the digiworld. The only thing digimon in this story is the characters. That's about it so enjoy!   
  
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this one to my friend Gia_B cause she has an obsession with FBI agents. Don't try to deny it either, you know you do! I also want to thank her for her help.   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own digimon that'll happen after world domination. (You knew that was coming, didn't you?)  
  
~ Cheating Destiny ~  
  
"Here's your new assignment, Ishida," A tall burly man issued, dropping a folder of documents onto his underling's cluttered desk. Gazing around the office he noticed strewn books and scattered papers everywhere. Month old styrofoam coffee cups lay across the blond mans desk and on the floor. Even the coffee cup the special agent's colleagues had given him for Christmas the last year still had the same coffee in it from the following year as well. Not surprising since the young man hardly ever took the time to clean, focusing all his attentions on his cases. Dozens of sharpened pencils hung embedded in the suspended ceiling, some falling every now and then on the occupant below. Pizza boxes were scrunched into the small trashcan in the corner and the papers that were meant to be in the garbage lay around it instead. The only thing in Special Agent Matt Ishida's office that spoke of his personal life was the picture of his and his brother TK that sat on the corner of his desk.  
  
Matt like his office was unnaturally unkempt. His sun blond hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in days, but that really didn't bother Matt, it looked like that even when he did brush it. He had a thin layer of stubble across his chin and side of his face. His clothing was wrinkled with his coat jacket hung over the back of his chair, his white shirt sleeves pulled up to his elbows, and his happy face tie hung loosely about his neck.   
  
"And clean up a little, will ya? This place is a pig sty!" He ordered scratching at his graying beard.  
  
Without replying Matt Ishida opened to folder and fumbled over the notes and papers, "What's this?"  
  
"It's your assignment Ishida. Haven't I already said that?" Matt's superior mentioned.  
  
"This is a case for the local cops!" Matt spat, "I'm a profiler! I track and document serial killers not cat burglars. I try to get into their heads to find their next victim, not their next pay check!"  
  
"This isn't any cat burglar Ishida!" his boss stated, pinching the bridge of his nose. Why must Ishida always be so stubborn? "She's stolen millions in jewel, art, bonds, cash, and more. She hasn't been caught and she hasn't killed anyone… not yet anyway."  
  
"Whatever jackass, its not like I have a choice either way." Matt coughed out under his breath.  
  
"What was that Ishida?" Director Ronalds questioned, his anger flaring even though he was getting use to Matt's smart-ass remarks.   
  
"She? So a chick's stealing more then most guys, big deal. Were in the twenty first century now, women are doing everything that men are." Matt argued, focusing his attention to the documents in front of him while at the same time ignoring his boss's attempts to get him to confess to his mutterings.  
  
"Yes, Lilly Barton. It's suspected she's in her early twenties, late thirties. No past records led alone criminal ones, no evidence found at the scene of the crimes, nothing."  
  
"So how do you know who did it if you have no evidence?" Matt wondered, looking over the long list of thefts.  
  
"We caught her on camera, she even smiled for us and an eye witness told us her name."  
  
"I take it Lilly's not her real name then?"   
  
"We doubt it, there's no records of a Lilly Barton whatsoever. So are you up to the task of catching her or would you like me to find you a serial killer?"  
  
"No… I'm fine… just…" Matt answered already engulfing himself in the case.  
  
"That's what I thought," Matt's boss said to himself, after all Matt probably wouldn't listen to anyone for the next couple of hours.  
  
***  
  
Matt stepped out of the silver gleaming car warily.   
  
'How on earth did I ever get stuck working on a case of robberies? I'm a profiler for God's sake!' Matt thought to himself as he removed his shades and entered the large museum where some very expensive jewels were stolen. 'Well that's what you get for willingly becoming one of the governments under paid over worked lackeys.'  
  
"Excuse me, can I help you sir?" an elderly man asked Matt when he had walked up to the front desk.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Special Agent Matt Ishida," Matt introduced himself glumly pulling out his badge, "I need to speak with the museum manager.  
  
"Right this way sir," the white haired man said politely leading Matt to an office with the word "Manager" painted on it.  
  
Knocking lightly on the door the old man waited for a light feminine to admit them to enter. He opened the door giving Matt access to the office then just as quietly shut the door behind him.  
  
The woman sitting in the desk before Matt looked about in her late twenty's early thirties, she had long blond hair that was tied up into a tight bun at the top of her head. She wore a slimming dark blue suit that complemented her equally dark eyes. Looking up from a stack of documents on her desk she hungrily raked her eyes over Matt, openly admiring his handsome features.  
  
"Well hello there," she smiled somewhat seductively, "I take you're the Agent the bureau sent over, ne?"  
  
"Umm yeah," Matt agreed, not liking the way she eyed him at all, and "I'm here to investigate the robberies."  
  
"Of course. I'm Trixie Summers," she stood up holding out her hand.  
  
"Special Agent Matt Ishida," Matt nodded shaking her hand. "Do you mind if I check out the crime scene?"  
  
"Not at all Agent Ishida," Trixie admitted walking to the door to lead Matt to the place where the Heart of Fate, the jewel in question was stolen.   
  
Ducking under the caution tape that the local police had put up Matt began his investigation. "Where was the diamond located?" Matt asked, it looked to him as if nothing had been stolen at all.  
  
"See that empty display case? That's where it was. I must admit that it was an extremely clean job. I wouldn't have noticed that anyone had broken in myself if it wasn't for the fact that the Heart of Fate was missing." Trixie admitted pointing to the empty display case.  
  
"Thanks. Did the cops do any fingerprinting or forensic work?" Matt questioned peering into the empty glass case carefully.  
  
"Oh yeah, they did all that stuff. I had to block off this whole wing of the museum for them," Trixie explained as if Matt really cared.  
  
"Was there any security tapes?"   
  
"Yes but they were all wiped clean by some kind of magnetic pulse after the thief left."  
  
"Why didn't the security guards notice?"  
  
"The guards in the security room were gasped. The other was in the north wing of the museum, this is the south, so even if he could have heard something going on in here, which is virtually impossible by the way, he couldn't have gotten here in time if his life depended on it. Why? Doesn't you have all the police reports and such." Trixie queried her brow furrowing with concentration.  
  
"I do, just making sure for myself. Sometimes the cops leave things out," Matt answered mindlessly, "Do you mind if I look around the rest of the museum?"  
  
"Go ahead," Trixie smiled, "just call me if you need anything at all."  
  
Speechlessly Matt ducked back under the caution tape and continued on through the rest of the museum while Trixie returned to her office. Even though Trixie had retired to her office Matt still felt as if someone was eyeing him. He started to look around suspiciously when his eyes caught the eyes of a young brown eyed woman across the room for him.  
  
Realizing that he had caught her the woman darted her eyes to the painting in front of her to avoid his stare. Matt on the other hand couldn't help but stare at this young woman who had caught his glance. She was so unnaturally beautiful but it wasn't a fake kind of beautiful you could get by subjecting yourself to cosmetic surgery, it was natural. From her slender supple body, to her chocolate brown eyes, to her silky brown hair. Everything about her seemed so perfect Matt was absolutely dumbstruck. Or was that love struck? He couldn't be sure at least not at this moment.   
  
Gathering every once of courage he had, Matt walked up to her casually until he was standing a few inches to her left and pretended to study the painting in front of them like she had.   
  
"So what do you think of this piece?" Matt asked the lady, taking in the splashes of color that occupied the canvas before them.  
  
"Well," she began in a light cheery voice, "I was thinking about stealing it."  
  
"Really?" Matt chuckled with fake enthusiasm but no where near fake amusement, "and how would you plan on doing that?"  
  
She smiled him a smile that could have melted any man into her palm. "I'll have to get back to you on that one."  
  
Matt laughed his shocking blue eyes still fixed on her calm cool brown ones. "I'll be waiting." By this time Matt's FBI training had begun to kick and he began to observe the stranger that stood before him.   
  
Her laugh was so light, almost musical, and the way she smiled was truly amazing, although he didn't need government training to tell him that. Her golden brown eyes held a wisdom that few could ever see due to their quick judgement on her somewhat dense first impressions she was known for, although no one has ever been sure if she did that on purpose. She had a relaxed but confident stance that gave said "Are you sure you want to play with me?" that all in itself was a huge turn on for Matt. He hadn't met a woman that could go toe to toe with him in a long time, but this mysterious woman steamed to fit the criteria he set, she could quite possibly even exceed those standards if he decided to get to know her. And more importantly if she left him.  
  
"I'll call you when I have an answer then, Special Agent Matt Ishida," she smiled turning to leave.  
  
"What!?!" Matt gasped grabbing her arm to turn her to face him. "How do you know me?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! How silly of me." She began still smiling, only now her smile was more mischievous then seductive, "Your name's written all over your badge. You… dropped it," she explained handing him the badge that he did remember dropping.  
  
"I dropped it?" Matt questioned skeptically.  
  
"Yep," she agreed wistfully before smiling devilishly. Matt Ishida, she decided was getting way too personal at this point so she intended to push him off guard.  
  
Before Matt could even think let alone move the enigmatic woman before him grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into her, pressing her soft lush lips against his rather roughly, prier to exiting the building, with him still standing in the same spot, an expression of shock written all over his face.   
  
Matt blinked a few times before he even dared to breathe. Did that really happen? His frantically beating heart and sweaty palms told him it did, yet his mind just couldn't process the information of the past few seconds until he went over the situation a few dozen times.  
  
"Getting hot and heavy with the clientele?" Trixie smirked from the hall entrance. She had come to see if the Agent needed any help when she found him attached to one of the museum's regulars but major donators as well.  
  
"Looks that way, doesn't it?" Matt muttered trying to get past Trixie so he could get as quickly as he could to his car.  
  
"You know I could accidentally let it slip that you were necking with some woman on the job," Miss Summers informed, there was after all a reason why she still remained a Miss.  
  
Now that got Matt to raise an eyebrow as he stopped in his tracks.  
  
"That is unless you're willing to go out with me?" Her question was more of a statement then a query.  
  
"Baby, you stick with me and I'll do things to you, that'll leave you trembling for a week, if you get what I'm saying," Matt gave her a sexy as sin smile as he turned on the charm.  
  
"Try me Agent," she grinned letting him pass.  
  
"You're on babe, I'll call you," Matt lied as he exited the building.  
  
'Does she actually think I care? I could get fired for all I care!' Matt though angrily as he climbed into his car, 'How dare she try to blackmail me! It wasn't even me who kissed that chick! So why do I care so much that she saw some chick kiss me? Who was that chick anyway, I didn't even get her name. Damn it! My life is so screwed!'  
  
***  
  
"You still here, Ishida?" A small lanky Agent poked his head into Matt's office as he passed.  
  
"Yeah, Terry I am, some of us actually like to finish cases before the criminals die from old age," Matt spat, looking up from some of Lilly Barton's profiles.  
  
"Lighten up man, I solved a few cases in my career," Special Agent Bill Terry assured.  
  
"And how long have you worked here Bill?" Matt questioned.  
  
"Umm… twelve? Thirteen? I'm not sure anymore they all seem to blend into one big image of hell," Bill admitted.  
  
"And how many cases have you solved?" Matt pushed to prove his point.  
  
"Seven, are you happy now Ishida? Still it's nine o'clock on a Friday night. Guys like us should be out painting the town. Why don't you come hand with me I'll buy you a drink.  
  
Matt decided to go along, at this point a drink wouldn't be such a bad idea. "I'll go on one condition."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You realize that you and me are nothing alike and never again put us in the same category."  
  
"You're on, now let's get going it's almost happy hour at my favorite hang out."  
  
It took everything he had not to laugh at Bill's attempts to be young and cool, they were so pathetic Matt almost pitied Bill. "Bill its always happy hour where you go."  
  
"That it is my boy, " Bill chuckled grabbing Matt's coat for him, "that it is."  
  
They took Matt's car to the small bar a few miles from the J. Edgar Hover building that was located in Washington DC since Bill took to walking home in the early hours in the morning after way to many drinks. Matt had seen Bill drink and found it extremely hard to believe that anyone could walk after consuming so much alcohol.   
  
Entering the bar Matt was hit with the stench of smoke and spilt drinks. The small room was dimly light, and tiny groups of people chatted amongst themselves while they idly sipped their drinks. Bill took his regular stool at the bar and ordered a beer for himself and his colleague.  
  
Matt, sitting down beside Bill wonder why anyone would ever come back to a seedy place like this and made a note to never coming drinking with Bill again.  
  
"So what case are you trying to crack now, Ishida?" Bill asked pulling out a pack of cigarettes and offering one to Matt.  
  
Shaking his head Matt answered, "I'm working on the Lilly Barton case."  
  
"Lilly Barton," Bill replied slyly, "I saw one of the security tapes with her on it. Damn! She a hoty! Short blond hair, full red lips, nice hips, huge ti-"  
  
"I've seen the tape Bill," Matt assured knowing exactly where Bill was going to go next, "so how's your girl?" Matt desperately wanted to change the subject before Bill had a chance to link Lilly to one of the chicks in his massive porn collection.  
  
"I dumped her," Bill stated without a single once of remorse.  
  
"Don't you mean she dumped you?" Matt laughed knowing that no girl in her right mind would ever willingly stay with Bill Terry.  
  
"Same difference, either way she's gone. I didn't really like her that much anyway, if she didn't have such a great body I never would have picked her up in the first place."  
  
"Whatever," Matt mumbled taking a sip of the cheap beer in front of him. He swallowed the warm liquid reluctantly then coughed out a protest. "How can you drink this shit Terry!"  
  
"It gets easier after the first few drinks," Bill admitted, downing his whole glass all at once then ordering another.  
  
"I don't think I'm going to get past this glass led alone a few more," Matt set down the glass of almost full alcohol and pushed it away.  
  
"Suit yourself man, if you won't drink yours I will," Bill informed reaching for Matt's glass.  
  
"Be my guest," Matt offered still trying to get the offal taste out of his mouth.  
  
"So why don't you have a chick of your own, Ishida?" Bill began to slur as he gulped down Matt's drink, "You're what? Twenty-eight? You're a well off, gentlemanly, and all around pretty boy."  
  
"Bill are you coming onto me?" Matt joked trying to hide the fact that he was trying to change the subject.  
  
"Nice try Ishida, now fess up, what's with you and broads?"  
  
Matt sighed heavily, and despite his companions degrading slang he told him anyway, "I'm not sure, I just haven't found the kind of girl I want to be with, that's all. I want someone who can keep up with me, you know? I want a girl who's not afraid to get her hands dirty."  
  
"Good luck there, pal," Bill chuckled, starting on his third drink.   
  
They sat in silence for quite a while, Matt, making shapes on the bar with a bowl of peanuts that sat beside him, Bill loosing himself in drink. An odd feeling over came Matt, telling him to turn around. He didn't really see the need and kept his attentions on the nuts in front of him. That is until the feeling began to send chills up and down his spine, standing the hairs on his neck on end.  
  
Reluctant to move he groaned turning around, he knew better then to ignore his instincts, ignoring your instincts could get others and yourself killed, especially in his line of business.  
  
"What's up with you's Ishida? You leav'in already?" Bill slurred trying to focus on the figure Matt was starring at.  
  
To be continued... hehehe 


	2. Cheating Destiny Part 2

Matt barely heard what Bill was blabbering about and didn't really care, his focus was on the woman who had just walked through the bar room door. It was the same woman he had met in the museum earlier that day, the same woman who had kissed him, the same woman who had left him trembling.

The room of men fell silent as she walked forward, the dim lights gleaming over the black leather pants that complimented the tight pink sweater she wore. She continued on through the bar, her head held high in confidence and her eyes catching the eyes of every man in the bar, warning them that if they tried anything with her, they'd wake up with more then a headache from their poor drinking habits. Of course, they'd still try, most of them were to hammered to ever focus on her eyes and the rest of them were to focused on other aspects of her most often admired body.

She sat down at the end of the bar in full view of everyone's gazes, crossing her legs as a few men got up to talk to her. She pulled out a cigarette, placing it on the edge of her pink lips. "So," she purred, looking directly at Matt, "which one of you boys wants to light my fire?" A dozen or so lighters were pulled out and held up to her. She smiled at her own achievement then removed the cigarette from her lips. "On second thought, I think it's about time I quit."

Matt's breath was caught in his throat as the voluptuous woman in front of him ran her tongue across her top lip. Gathering all the courage he could muster Matt rose from the barstool he occupied and made his way the mystery woman he met in the museum.

"Hello Agent, I was wondering when you were going to make your way over to me," she smiled, her voice almost seemed to tremble with anticipation.

Hearing the 'Agent' that the woman whispered, the men that were almost clinging to her sunk back into the shadows trying to look oblivious.

Matt smiled back and sat down on the empty stool beside her, "You know my name," Matt stated, "I want to know yours."

"Do you? And why is that?" she tilted her head but kept her eyes locked with his.

"Well I usually get a girls name before embarking on any… oral activities with her," Matt smiled slyly, choosing his words carefully.

"Is that so Agent?" her eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint, "well then, my name is Mimi."

"Do you have a last name, Mimi?" 

"Of course, but you're going to have to convince me to tell you," Mimi ensured.

"I'll do my best," Matt promised holding out his hand to her.

"A handshake? That's all I get after that kiss in the museum?" Mimi pouted, making all the guys in the room inch a bit closer in case Matt screwed up.

"I thought we'd start from the beginning, since we seemed to have missed that part."

"I don't miss anything Agent, I just skip over the boring parts," Mimi said taking his hand and using her grasp on him to pull Matt closer to her. 

"Why'd you come here?" Matt whispered hoarsely, "I never would have pictured a girl like you coming to such a seedy place like this."

"I have no idea why I'm here, Agent," her voice had become at least an octave lower, the warmth from Matt's hand sending shivers down her spine. "I just got this feeling."

Matt inhaled deeply to try to clear his head. The space between them had diminished so much their lips were millimeters apart. Using his free hand Matt lightly ran his fingers over one of her high cheekbones. Mimi closed her eyes, indulging herself in the feel of his soft strong fingers against her tingling flesh. His breath was hot on her lips and without opening her eyes she brushed her lips against his, this time more lightly then she had the first time. He responded to her kiss with a passion he never knew he had and he would have continued on if it weren't for the noisy friend he totally forgot about.

"Woohoo! Way to go Ishida!" Bill shouted from across the bar, "I knew you could do it!"

As Mimi pulled away, he sighed, wishing he had never given Bill his drink in hopes that he would have been sober enough not to intrude but knew for a fact that one drink wouldn't have made a difference.

"Why don't we go somewhere a little more private?" Mimi suggested getting straight to the point without even noticing. She had never done that before!

"Your place or mine?" Matt grinned attractively pulling her up from the barstool and leading her towards the door.

"Yours," she smiled back with equal attractiveness, following him.

Mimi had never done anything before in her life like she was just about to do but felt within the very reassesses of her soul that it was right. That she would not regret being with the handsome Agent she had met just hours ago. She felt something when she was around him, something intense, something that made her feel safe and secure, but the feeling she got also scared her. 

"Do you believe in destiny, Mimi?" Matt asked opening the door to his apartment.

Mimi considered his question carefully as she gazed around his apartment. His place, unlike his office was pretty clean. Most likely due to the fact that he hardly ever spent long periods of time in his apartment, because he was always working at the office. The apartment Matt resided in was sparsely furnished but had the necessities, a TV in front of a dark leather couch, a coffee table littered with documents, and the room was warmly light by tall lamps in the corners of the room. 

"Destiny, as in the possibility of our lives being set in stone before we're ever born? Predestined fate in which we have no control over? The fact that we have one purpose, and one purpose only in which we have a lifetime to complete our inevitable task?" Mimi smiled as her eyes crept over the assorted comics such as Spider-man, Wild C.A.T.S, and Fathom that lay beneath the documents on Matt's coffee table.

Noticing her line of vision and the sly smile on her face, Matt quickly picked up the comics, grinning sheepishly, "Yeah, that kind of destiny."

"I'm not sure. I guess if I do believe in destiny, I've been spending my life trying to escape it by denying destiny ever existed in the first place. The whole idea that I have no control over my life scares me." Mimi's eyes widened in shock when she realized that she just told a perfect stranger one of her greatest fears.

Matt noticed this and pulled her into him, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. "I know what you mean, I feel the same way," Matt assured looking deeply into her eyes, "but I think that some people have the ability to cheat destiny. Or change it. To make things happen that normally wouldn't. "

"Really?" Mimi inhaled slowly trying to clear her hazing mind and slow her racing heart beat. "What kinds of things?"

Matt swallowed hard. What was he going to say? "Well… um… like true love… like how the most unusual can fall in love. And how nobody can figure why they stay together, why they love each other so completely, only they can see it… and stuff like that I guess," he rambled on trying to find a way to tell Mimi that he had fallen for her big without out right saying it.

Mimi mumbled a reply as Matt muttered around in circles, then with a mischievous smile on her lips she kissed him in mid sentence cutting off any other words he was about to say.

Matt was shocked but very pleased with her reaction to his mutterings and had no intention of breaking off the kiss that she had started, instead he deepened it. Running his hands up her slender sides Matt brushed a few strands of her golden brown hair behind her ear. Her skin was so soft he could hardly believe he wasn't touching silk.

Mimi moaned as Matt's tongue stoked her own. She buried her long fingers within Matt's thick blond hair as she ran one of her legs up the back of his. Mimi began to unbutton Matt's shirt in an urgent need to feel and explore every inch of his body.

Matt, wasting no time in realizing what Mimi wanted, began to pull her towards his room, his lips never leaving hers. Gently laying Mimi down on his bed, Matt began a trail of gentle kisses along her jaw line and down her exposed neck.

A deep sound almost like a purr escaped Mimi as her body began to tremble with anticipation. Regaining her composure as much as she could, Mimi pushed Matt's open shirt off his shoulder and took several seconds to admire his body. Matt was well muscled and toned but still sleek and graceful. That same mischievous smile played itself once again over her lips before she pushed Matt onto his back, so she was straddling him. Running her fingertips over Matt's bare chest, Mimi leaned forward to kiss his shoulders, then used the tip of her tongue to draw a line from Matt's collar bone to hip lips, capturing him in a mind blowing kiss.

"Are you sure about this Mimi?" Matt asked huskily as Mimi's hands roamed over certain sensitive parts of his anatomy. The things she could do with her fingers were simply amazing!

"Tachikawa," Mimi whispered her breath shallow as Matt's hands wandered over her tensing body.

"What?" Matt asked confused and bewildered at the same time.

"My last name, it's Tachikawa," Mimi gasped confirming both of Matt's questions, "You've convinced me."

***

Mimi inhaled deeply, the smell of her newfound lover registering in her mind. She smiled slightly and without opening her eyes she snuggled closer to Matt, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling his soft skin against her cheek. 

__

'Last night was completely amazing! I've never been more relaxed in my life! I've never felt so at peace!' Mimi thought, drawing mindless designs on Matt's chest with her index finger.

Matt could feel her tiny ministrations but chose not to move or let Mimi know that he was awake, instead he decided to lie there enjoying the feeling of her against him. After a while though he felt her raise, leaving the warmth of his bed. This was the moment he decided to let her know he was awake and slowly opened his eyes to the dim light of the room to find her picking up her scattered clothes and pulling them on lazily with a look of contentment on her face. She looked so beautiful, the sunlight streaming through widows, illuminating her features. 

"Were are you going?" Matt pouted sitting up. 

Mimi seemed startled, but only for moment. Turning to Matt in nothing but her black leather pants and black lace bra, "I have business to attend to today."

Matt's breath caught in his throat, he swallowed hard a few times before responding, "It's Saturday morning," Matt glanced at his alarm clock, "Saturday afternoon."

"I know, that doesn't change a thing though, I still have to work," Mimi sighed heavily pulling her sweater on. 

"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" Matt made his irresistible puppy dog eyes as he threw his legs over the bed. 

Mimi rolled her eyes with a sense of satisfaction written all over her face. "All right, but only one, I'm late enough as it is."

Mimi bent down over Matt to give him a quick peck on the lips but he captured her in a soul-searing kiss, pulling her down on top of him. 

"Mmmm… Matt, I have to… I have to… go," Mimi gasped as Matt kiss her in between words.

"Then leave," he offered with a wry smile running his hands over her body.

"Oh Matt… mmmm," Mimi moaned knowing that she wouldn't leave Matt's place, at least until he was finished

***

"Special Agent Ishida," Matt mumbled into cell phone.

"Ishida, you need to get down here right away," Matt's boss said roughly through the connection.

"Can it wait? I'm kinda tied up at the moment," Matt glanced at Mimi's sleeping form beside him.

"No, Lilly's struck again," he said quickly.

"So? Can't that wait a few hours?" Matt argued running his fingers gently down Mimi's bare back as she slept.

"She's killed."

"What?" Matt stuttered, "but from what we know she doesn't even carry a weapon!"

"She does now, so get over here now!" he ordered breaking the connection before Matt could argue even further.

"Matt?" Mimi inhaled deeply turning over.

Matt's heart sank at the prospect of leaving Mimi but he forced himself to get out of bed and get dressed.

"Matt," Mimi pouted, "Come back to bed, it's cold."

"I'm sorry," Matt smiled at her child like personality, "I have to go. It's this case I'm working, our suspect just killed."

"What?" Mimi sat up in shock but just as suddenly lay back down as if Matt's words didn't even phase her.

Matt eyed her suspiciously but then cleared his mind of troubled thoughts. "Meet me tonight?"

"Always," Mimi promised, stretching out lazily prior to getting dressed herself.

"All right I'll meet you here at about eleven?"

"Fine by me."

"Great, we can go out for a late dinner," Matt suggested kissing her good bye as they exited his apartment.

"Later," Mimi waved to him as she left him to lock the door behind him.

*** 

Matt inhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward of his headache. His previously amazing day was taking a turn for the worse. A 180 degree turn in fact. After Mimi had left everything seemed to go down hill for him. The only evidence that Lilly was ever there was the snow-white lily that she always left at a crime scene. There was absolutely nothing else to go on and the autopsy turned up void as well. 

The victim was shot once to the head with Smith and Wesson handgun. The blood spatter at the crime scene suggested the man was shoot point blank to the head. There were no fingerprints, no footprints, and no criminal DNA. 

The local cops that Matt had to work with were simply impossible and wouldn't co-operate at all. His boss wouldn't get off his back and set him up with a partner for the rest of the case because "he wasn't making any progress". Matt's partner, Eddie Pierce, was the most disrespectful, self righteous, arrogant, son of a bitch Matt or any other FBI Agent had ever worked with. The worst part of it though was that by the time Matt had been able to investigate and report in to his superiors he knew that Mimi would have though he had blown her off. It was almost one in the morning by the time he made it to his apartment. 

Yawning, he began to climb the stairs to his apartment, taking in the dull almost dreary colors of the building on his way. Pulling out his keys, Matt began to open his apartment door, only to find that it was already opened. He stood there trying to remember if he had locked it or not and distinctly remembered locking it. 

Pulling out his gun, the adrenaline that was releasing itself into his system woke him up immediately. Cautiously Matt opened the door surveying his surroundings. Nothing seemed to be out of order and nothing was missing but that didn't stop his from keeping his gun raised or searching the rest of the apartment. The only thing that seemed to be out of place was the open front door, maybe he did leave it unlocked? The bathroom was all that was left to check and when he opened the door the scene he beheld nearly made him nearly drop his gun with shock.


	3. Cheating Destiny Part 3

Authors note: Third part yay! This is really going to screw up a lot of your ideas and predictions about this story! And Kate, you were right, on your guess about the bathtub. How do you do that?  
  
Mimi lay, stretched out in Matt's bathtub. Her head back against the edge, her eyes closed in what could only be described as ecstasy. Her legs hung over the other end, hundreds of tiny gleaming bubbles clinging to her supple calves. Her elbows were propped up on either side of her head and like the shimmering bubbles clinging to her legs, millions of them were built up concealing any part of her that may be considered revealing.  
  
She had lit about a dozen candles and placed randomly around the room. The light given off by these candles made tiny rainbow patterns on every bubble in the bath and the steam raising from the bath was beginning to fog up the mirror.  
  
"You know, it's really hard to undress a woman in your mind when she's already naked," Mimi smiled her eyes still closed.  
  
"You could help me out by putting your cloths back on," Matt suggested chuckling as he holstered his weapon.  
  
"Well if I did that who's to say I would ever take them off again," Mimi challenged finally opening her eyes to glance at Matt's tensed form.  
  
"I'm sure I could find some way to convince you," Matt smirked kneeling down beside the bathtub Mimi still resided in.  
  
Matt gently took the fingers of her hand in his own and gently caressed the tips with his lips. Feeling his soft kisses and hot breath on the tips of her fingers sent chills throughout her body and her back arched involuntarily with his ministrations.   
  
"How did you get in?" Matt probed, running his tongue over her index finger.  
  
"That's my little secret," she teased, sitting up to kiss him. Breaking off their heated kiss, Mimi grinned impishly, "Care to join me?"  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Matt smiled back, getting up to remove his clothing.  
  
After an extremely sensual bath Matt and Mimi took to entertaining themselves in the kitchen, on the living room couch, in the bedroom, in the bathroom again, on the hallway wall, on the kitchen floor, and any other place they felt like it. They continued to entertain themselves all through the mourning and well into the after noon.   
  
By the time Matt and Mimi finally got their clothes on without them being immediately ripped of again it was a few hours past supper and the hazy sun had long ago set, welcoming the evening anew. The twinkling star hung lazily in velvet black sky, accompanying the vibrant moon's journey across the midnight abyss. Matt sat out on his balcony, Mimi in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, and her head resting against his chest. He had his arms tightly around her waist, his head resting gently on hers, and a warm blanket around them both.   
  
"Aren't they beautiful?" Mimi asked sighing contently.  
  
"Beyond words," Matt whispered breathlessly, kissing her hair.  
  
Mimi was glad that Matt couldn't see her face at that moment. Threatening tears began to sting her eyes as thousands of cruel thoughts streamed into her mind. Sitting there with him made her feel so special, like she was the only person in the world to him. But the fear that what they had done was just a one time thing griped at her heart harshly and she began questioning herself as a person and what her and Matt could ever possibly become, knowing what she was. As reality hit her, her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.  
  
"Mimi?" Matt murmured lifting her chin with his gentle fingers to look her in the eyes. "Mimi, what's wrong?"  
  
"Oh Matt!" she sobbed, tears falling, "I need to know, I need to know if this is just some fling, or if it's going to be something more. I can't stay here any longer if it's just some fling, because if I do I'm going to fall so bad I'll never be able to pick myself up again. I'm all ready falling for you Matt and if I don't leave now I'll never be able to."  
  
"Mimi," Matt smiled lovingly, brushing away her crystal tears, "I want more then just some fling with you. I want to wake up with you in my arms, I want to eat breakfast with you every morning, and I want to sit up with you and watch the world go by every night. I want to be there to make you laugh, and I want to be there to kiss away your tears. I want to make your dreams come true, and chase away your nightmares, Mimi. I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me."   
  
Mimi's smile was ear to ear when she hugged him closer to her, "I want you forever, for as long as I live!"  
  
Matt was shocked at her open display of emotions so soon, but he was more shocked by his own. No one he had ever met was ever so open with him, so caring and accepting. He hugged her back before she enveloped him in another body numbing kiss.  
  
"I need to go for a walk, you want to come?" Mimi blurted out, pulling away from the kiss.  
  
Matt held back a stifled laugh at her ability to completely go from one thing to another, "I'd love to."  
  
"Great!" she squealed with delight, taking Matt by the hand and leading him to the front door of his apartment.  
  
The summer evening air was warm and the light breeze cooling from the days intense heat creating the perfect conditions for a early midnight walk. Matt held his arm protectively around Mimi as they walked through the city blocks to a small park about twenty minutes away. There was a comfortable silence about them as they strolled through the park enjoying the others company.   
  
Without even realizing it, they began to walk through a tremendous mud puddle that lay across the path for at least a couple of meters. Well at least they didn't realize it until Matt slipped.  
  
"Ow!" he gasped as Mimi held her stomach breaking down if fits of giggles. She tried to say something, anything, but all she could do was laugh at Matt.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, ha, ha," Matt muttered sarcastically, "now help me up."   
  
Matt extended his hand to her and managing to control herself somewhat, she grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him up. Matt had had another idea in mind and used his grip on her to pull her down into the thick mud with him.  
  
"Ah!" Mimi cried sitting up and looking at her mud splattered clothes. "How could you do that!"  
  
"Just like this!" he demonstrated pushing her down into the mud again so he was pinning her into the squishy substance laughing all the way.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Mimi challenged giggling.  
  
"Yeah!" Matt accepted her challenge and scrunched his face at her.  
  
Before he could stop her, Mimi lifted her hand with a first full of mud in it and smeared it all over Matt's face.  
  
"Cheater!" Matt cried, picking up a fist full of mud himself and plastered it into her already mud-streaked hair.  
  
It didn't take long before they were both completely cover from head to toe in mud, and totally exhausted from the "friendly" wrestling match.  
  
"I've always wondered what that would be like," Mimi confessed lying back into the mud puddle beside a panting Matt.  
  
"What? Mud wrestling?" Matt smirked trying to wipe the mud off his face with his sleeve but his sleeve had more mud on it then his face did.  
  
"Yeah. I've seen it on TV and in a couple of movies a few times but I never thought it would be that fun! I don't even mind the whole getting dirty part either!"  
  
"Well if you liked getting dirty, you are going to love getting clean," Matt assured kissing her cheek, then took a few moments to spit the mud out.  
  
Mimi laughed, wrapping her arms around him, "Well then, why don't we get going then?"  
  
"You read my mind," Matt said cheerily helping Mimi up but only succeeded in slipping deeper into the mud.  
  
Laughing, Mimi tried to get up herself but found herself in the same predicament as Matt, "How are we ever going to get out of this?"  
  
"Well if we can get to the grass, we'll probably be able to get up from there," Matt said thoughtfully.  
  
Mimi contemplated that thought for a moment and decided it was worth a try. It took them a few attempts to reach the lush green grass, and they stood up from there and began their journey home. They got a few curious glances on the way but they were too engulfed in each other to even notice.  
  
***  
  
BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!  
  
Matt turned over groggily, smacking his wailing alarm clock. Opening his eyes her peered at the flashing red numbers.  
  
5:15  
  
"Ungh!" Matt grumbled, willing himself to sit up.  
  
It was amazing! He was still tired! Ever since TK had died he had never slept for more then four hours at a time and he had slept over six hours!  
  
"Mimi?" he whispered to see if she was awake.   
  
He was a little startled when he found an empty space next to him but then calmed down when he saw her sitting at his desk writing in some kind of journal she had brought with her the other day.  
  
"Good morning sunshine," she teased smiling at his weary form.  
  
He grumbled something incoherent and sank back under the warm covers.  
  
Mimi rolled her eyes, closing her diary and walked over to the bed. She stood at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips, scorning Matt playfully and with one fluid movement pulled the sheets off him.  
  
"Hey! It's cold!" Matt gasped trying to pull the sheets back from her.  
  
"Get up! Don't you have to go to work?" Mimi asked a little too cheerfully.  
  
"I'm sure they won't mind if I take one day off," Matt sighed, giving up on getting the covers back and instead set his mind to getting dressed.  
  
"They might not but I think you will," Mimi enlightened as she began to make the bed out of pure boredom as Matt began to search through his closet.  
  
"And why would that bother me?" Matt questioned, pulling on a pair of boxers.  
  
"Because I have a little business to take care of today and you'll have to do something to get your mind off me while I'm gone," She smiled innocently.  
  
"What makes you think I want to think about you?" Matt voice was mocking but still playful.  
  
"Who wouldn't?" Mimi said striking a pose.  
  
Matt laughed before kissing her gently.   
  
"All right!" Mimi ordered pushing him away, "If we don't stop now, we never will, so you get dressed and I'll make coffee."  
  
"But we were just getting to the good part," Matt pouted and it took all of Mimi's will power to leave the room without jumping him.   
  
She left after a quick breakfast of waffles, taking with her everything that could have been used to determine she was ever there, leaving Matt with only the memory of her voice, her touch, her being.   
  
Matt exhaled heavily as he watched her speed away in her custom designed pink convertible. It seemed that his new companion was loaded which had amazed him when he found out. Every person he had ever met that had a name to them or had money to burn thought about themselves, and only themselves. He couldn't stand them, they were so arrogant, so selfish, so conceded, but Mimi, she possessed none of those disgraceful qualities. She was sweet, caring, and innocent, well not that innocent, she was everything that Matt had always wanted to be, everything he ever dreamed of being.  
  
He turned, missing Mimi already and set off to go to work, and for the first time in years he despised the thought of sitting at his desk for hours at a time, grueling over unsolved serial killings, or in today's case, robberies. It took every once of will power he had just to drag himself to work.  
  
"You're late, Ishida," Eddie Pierce snickered as Matt collapsed at his desk.  
  
"So sue me," Matt sneered, the anger he thought he had dealt with when he had found out he had to work with Pierce was beginning to once again boil over.   
  
"What good would that do me? You have nothing," Eddie spat back.  
  
Matt inhaled deeply repressing the urge to punch Pierce in the face, "Bite me, Pierce."  
  
That comment seemed to shut him up, at lest for a while. It would seem that no one had ever really challenged Pierce and when brought with the decision to step up and be a man, Pierce liked to run away with his tale between his legs.  
  
Matt's cell phone rang harshly, causing Pierce to jump and Matt to sigh. Matt pulled out the tiny phone and held it to his ear, "What?"  
  
"Is that anyway to greet your girlfriend?" a playful voice came through.  
  
"Mimi? How'd you get this number?" Matt gasped wishing he had been a little more polite.  
  
"My little--" she began.  
  
"Secret, right?" Matt smiled, "What's up babe?"  
  
"Babe?" Mimi smirked. She liked the way it rolled off his tongue so smoothly.  
  
"Sorry!" Matt apologized quickly, "I won't do it again."  
  
"No, I'd prefer that you did. It makes me feel so… sexy," she decided.  
  
"All right," Matt agreed, "So what's up, babe?"  
  
He heard Mimi giggle before moving on, "I wanted to know it you wanted to come with me to the opening of the unveiling of… some new artists paintings tonight at the art gallery?"  
  
"You don't know the name of the guy's work you're going to go see?" Matt chuckled.  
  
"The only reason I'm going is because I have a social obligation to go. And I thought that since I have this new really gorgeous, really nice, really wonderful boyfriend I could show him off to everybody and make all the girls jealous," Mimi pouted, melting Matt's insides.  
  
Matt sighed theatrically and she knew he was like putty in her hands, "I suppose I could attend, that is if I get something in return."  
  
Mimi smiled mischievously at all the things she could do to Matt. "Well if you come with me tonight I'm sure I could find something to do to entertain you later…" she let it hang.  
  
"And what would those things be?" Matt grinned.  
  
"Well, I was thinking of getting whipping cream… no chocolate syrup. Yeah that's it, and spreading it all over your hot, naked body," Mimi said every word slowly and sensually to emphasize what she was getting at, "and using my tongue to lick every sweet inch off."   
  
Matt swallow hard trying not to imagine what was going to happen later, but desperately wishing it was later. "Sounds great," Matt croaked out.  
  
"I knew you'd see it my way," Mimi beamed triumphantly, "All right, I have to go, later."  
  
"See you," Matt added, "babe."  
  
Mimi giggled once more before hanging up.  
  
"Can we get down to work now Ishida? Or am I going to have to sit through another revolting conversation between you and your girlfriend?" Pierce rolled his eyes, opening up the case file.  
  
Matt ignored him and opened up a case file of his own.  
  
"So… so where do you think she's going to strike next?" Pierce asked almost nervously.  
  
"Who knows," Matt's sighed going over a bunch of useless information for the hundredth time. "It just doesn't make sense though."  
  
"What doesn't?" Pierce asked fidgeting with his tie.  
  
"She made dozens of robberies without even carrying a weapon, so why all of a sudden would she start to kill now?" Matt muttered almost to himself.  
  
"Maybe… maybe she was sick of being so careful?" Pierce suggested, his eyes shifting nervously around the room.  
  
"I don't think so, it's just not her style," Matt assured looking over the murder pictures.  
  
"Like you would know," Pierce spat, "She's a criminal, who knows why they do anything."  
  
"I know!" Matt sneered, "I'm a profiler, I was trained to know exactly the way criminals think and why they do what they. This case isn't making any sense, nothing's adding up."  
  
"Whatever," Pierce ended the conversation by leaving the cramped office. "I'm going to go get some coffee."  
  
***  
  
"This is soooo boring!" Mimi whispered in Matt's ear as they made their way around the gallery.  
  
Matt wore a black suit with a dark blue dress shirt, and Mimi came in a long pink shimmering gown. She was the focus of every girl in the room's envy as she hung onto Matt's arm possessively, and smiled at all the admiring men. Matt put his arm around her waist, holding her close to tell all the men that she was off limits.  
  
"We could leave if you want," Matt offered looking at another canvas that was splashed with meaningless colors.  
  
"And miss out on all the cocktail weenies? I don't think so!" she joked and he leaned in to kiss her.  
  
Just then the room began to fill with a thick cloud of scentless, tasteless, gas that shrouded everything until nothing was visible. This happened all over the gallery, resulting in shrieks of panic and rising confusion.  
  
"Matt? Matt, what's going on?" Mimi cried clutching onto his hand tightly.  
  
"I don't know," Matt admitted pulling out his gun.  
  
"Matt, I'm scared," Mimi gasped as someone pushed her from his embrace and out into the buzzing panic of the room.  
  
"Mimi! Mimi, where are you?" Matt shouted trying to see anything at all through the thick cloud of mist, "Mimi!"  
  
"Matt!" he heard her shout for beyond the mist.  
  
"Mimi!" he moved closer to where he heard her voice, bumping into people on the way.  
  
She came at him, clutching onto his arm. He wrapped his arm around her as he heard her sob with fear. "It's all right now Mimi."  
  
"I know," her voice was barely audible, but something didn't sound right to Matt.  
  
He decided it was just the fear in her voice but deep down inside something just didn't feel right either.  
  
"Let's get out of here Mimi," Matt said determined.  
  
Taking her hand, they felt their way around the gallery like a pair of blind rats in some whacked science experiment. They couldn't tell where they were going or where they had gone, but kept moving in hopes of finding an exit.  
  
"What's that?" Mimi questioned, pointing through the smoke at a silhouette hanging above the feature painting of the evening that sat portrayed in the middle of the room.  
  
Matt gaped, knowing whom it was. Out of all the nights, she had to pick the night that he going out with Mimi to make a heist!  
  
"Lilly Barton!" Matt swore.  
  
"Is she the one who's been stealing all those jewels and paintings?" Mimi questioned, her voice quivering with fear.  
  
"Yeah, she's also the one who committed that murder I told you about. Listen Mimi I want you to try to get out without me, okay?" Matt requested.  
  
"No, I don't want to leave you Matt," Mimi refused, squeezing his hand tighter.  
  
"Mimi, I can handle this, but I can't do it if I have to look out for you. I just don't want you to get hurt all right? Please Mimi, please go," Matt begged.  
  
Mimi bit her bottom lip with frustration, "All right, I'll go. Don't do anything stupid though!"  
  
Matt smiled, "Me? Do anything stupid? Come on!"  
  
"Just be careful," Mimi ordered sternly before running off deeper into the billowing smoke.  
  
Bringing his gun up, Matt approached Lilly with caution, making sure not to alarm her.  
  
When he was close enough to see her clearly and so that she couldn't run he made himself known, "Freeze or I'll shot!"  
  
Lilly looked up calmly as if she expected to see him there. She met her sparkling blue with his, her short blond hair hanging loosely about her. She was even more beautiful in real life then she was on the security tape and Matt's breath caught instantly in his throat.  
  
"Where am I going to go Agent? I'm hanging from the roof," she smirked bringing her arms up… down.  
  
"How did you know I'm with the FBI?" Matt questioned regaining his senses. "I never said who I was."  
  
Her eyes widened in shock, but she recovered quickly, "Isn't it obvious? Stiff posture, arrogant voice, point and shot attitude."  
  
He said nothing to that but didn't accept it as the truth either, "All right Lilly, I want you to lower yourself to the ground slowly," Matt ordered.  
  
"What ever you say Agent," she smirked.  
  
It was still too cloudy to see every move she was making and Matt didn't see her reach into her belt and take out a small remote control. Ever so slowly she pulled herself up until she was right side up with the metallic like synthetic rope still wrapped around her legs, looping through her belt. It looked as if she were going to lower herself down but instead she pressed a small button on the remote and she was jolted up to the window in the ceiling she had come through in a little over a few seconds. What Matt also didn't notice was that upon catching her, she had already cut the canvas from the frame and placed it in a long tube. That long tube was attached to the end of the rope and when she was hoisted up the picture was hoisted up with her.  
  
"Farewell Agent," she laughed blowing him a kiss as she fled from sight.  
  
"Shit!" Matt swore along with a few other choice words.  
  
After the smoke began to clear he found it easier to see, he found his out of the building and then proceeded to find Mimi. She was sitting on one of the stone benches out side of the gallery, three local cops questioning her. Matt knew that only one cop was needed to perform the easy task of questioning, and his anger flared that someone, anyone would try to move in on his girlfriend when he wasn't even there.  
  
"Mimi!" he shouted over to her.  
  
"Matt!" she cried, flinging herself into his arms, "I'm so glad you're all right." She kissed him numerous times before settling in for a hug.  
  
Matt happily obliged giving the cops a venomous sneer before answering her, "Give me a couple of minutes then we can go home, okay?"  
  
"Sure," Mimi nodded pulling away.  
  
"Sir, she'll need to answer a few more questions, and so will you," one of the three cops that were questioning Mimi insisted.  
  
"I'll take it from here," Matt informed pulling out his badge, "Special Agent Matt Ishida, Lilly Barton was the one that stole the painting, she's a case of mine."  
  
The policemen looked startled and disappointed, "All right then, you're free to leave."  
  
"Whatever," Matt rolled his eyes at the pathetic attempt at control the man exercised as he entered the already taped off building.  
  
"What happened in there Matt?" Mimi questioned concern lacing her voice and lining her features as her followed him.  
  
"She got away," Matt answered with shame. "I need to check out the crime scene a little okay? So can you wait out here for me?"  
  
"Of course, Matt," she kissed him lightly before he entered the building.  
  
Special Agent Pierce joined a few minutes later to investigate the crime scene.   
  
"Looks like the bitch struck again," Pierce smirked pulling out a fingerprinting kit.  
  
"She was wearing gloves," Matt explained angrily.  
  
"So you saw her?" Pierce gasped, "Why didn't you stop her?"  
  
"It just didn't happen," Matt said through clenched teeth.  
  
"So you lost her," Pierce stated arrogantly.  
  
"Drop it Pierce," Matt warned running a gloved hand over the frame that Lilly had cut the picture from.  
  
"Admit it Ishida, you failed," Pierce pressed, just itching for a fight.  
  
"I don't fail Pierce, I leave that up to flunkies like you," Matt met Pierce's green eyes with a cold heartless stare.  
  
"Back off Ishida," Pierce almost squeaked lowering his eyes so he wouldn't have to meet Matt's intense gaze.  
  
"Don't screw with me Pierce," Matt cautioned, "I always win."  
  
Pierce stood ridged as Matt walked away to investigate the roof, murderous anger dancing it's way across his face. "We'll see Ishida, we'll see."  



	4. Cheating Destiny Part 4

Authors Note: All right, I've screwed with you guys long enough. This is the part that'll clear everything up! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone, and I assure you this is not the last part. There will be one more. Please excuse all spelling and grammer mistakes. Enjoy!  
  
"Well, why don't you tell me everything about the case? Maybe after you go over everything and say everything out loud something will click. I do it all the time and it works for me," Mimi suggested in the passenger seat of the car on their way back to Matt's apartment.  
  
"All right," Matt agreed willing to try anything. The newest crime scene came up empty again, all except the signature white lily she decided to leave on the roof. "Lilly Barton, about age twenty six, twenty seven, no known background under the name Lilly Barton. That means she's the world's most isolated person or that there is no Lilly Barton, I'm pretty positive it's the second of those. She just suddenly came out of nowhere a few years back and she's already stolen over nine hundred million dollars in jewels, paintings, cash, bonds, property, and so on. The case fell into my lap a few days ago and it already makes no sense to me."  
  
"In what way?" Mimi asked, her brow furrowing with concentration.  
  
"She's really high tech. She's got some of the worlds leading technology at her finger tips but she doesn't carry any weapons at all, it's as if she knows she's not going to get caught."  
  
"Maybe she just doesn't want to hurt anyone?" Mimi interrupted.  
  
"That might have been an option before, until she murdered a security guard on Saturday. Which was another dead end. There was no useful evidence left at any of the current or the past crime scenes. I'm assuming that the guard walked in on her when she was stealing some of the crown jewels lent to us from England. The only way we could be positive that it is Lilly is the white lily she leaves at every crime scene, other then that we have nothing."  
  
"Well if she hasn't killed anyone in all the years that she's been stealing why would she start now?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe she was backed into a corner?"  
  
"Then why didn't she kill you?"  
  
Mimi was a lot sharper then Matt would have guessed, "That's a good question Mimi. Maybe it was because she knew she could escape from me?"  
  
"If she could escape from you, a highly trained FBI Agent," she smiled almost mockingly at him, "then why wouldn't she have been able to escape a security guard form a museum?"  
  
Matt looked at Mimi, shock written all over his face. She was thinking in ways he would never normally think of himself. Matt smiled slyly before going on, "Jeez, with all you seem to know about Lilly Barton I wouldn't be surprised if you knew her, Mimi."  
  
Mimi blushed a light crimson color, moving her brown eyes from his to the dashboard of the car. "Don't count on it," she said laughing lightly.  
  
At this point Matt began to study Mimi intently his azure eyes taking in her every movement as well as her delicate features.  
  
"Why are you staring at me?" Mimi coughed raising her eyes to meet his once more.  
  
"Honestly?"  
  
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Mimi smiled solemnly.  
  
"I haven't got a clue, so what do you think?" Matt questioned, changing the subject.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"My case?"  
  
"Oh, I think…" Mimi bit her bottom lip in thought. She was running the information through her mind trying to decide what to tell Matt she thought. "I think that you're going to have a really hard catching her… if you catch her." She added smiling devilishly.  
  
"Is that so?" he answered with an eyebrow raised skeptically.  
  
"That's right," she confirmed unpinning her hair and shaking it out.   
  
An action that made Matt go absolutely wild with arousal. Mimi of course caught his longing glances at her and smirked. "Why don't you step on it Matt? I have this powerful feeling the sooner we get back to your place the better."  
  
***  
  
"Do you want syrup on your waffles or…" Matt yelled from the kitchen to Mimi who was in his room writing in her journal again.  
  
"Or what?" Mimi asked raising from the desk and closing the small leather bound book as she retreated to the kitchen.  
  
"Well I was going to say chocolate sauce but we used all that last night," Matt smiled wickedly at the memory of the night before.  
  
"We did, didn't we?" Mimi realized. Licking her lips as her mind was flooded over with the pleasurable flashbacks. "Syrup it is then."  
  
Mimi sat down at the table quietly while Matt poured on the syrup extra thick. He set the plates down on the table with a soft clang and proceeded to get the juice from the fridge.  
  
"Do you eat anything other then waffles?" Mimi teased cutting into hers.  
  
"Why would I need to?" Matt laughed, "Waffles are the best food ever, whether that's for breakfast, lunch, or dinner."  
  
"How is that? They couldn't possibly be that healthy for you," Mimi looked at him doubtfully but took a bite anyway.  
  
"Sure they are, it says right on right in the box," Matt confirmed. "The waffle people have no reason to lie to us diehard waffle lovers, so it must be true. Not only that but any idiot can make waffles, even my little-" Matt stopped himself in mid-sentence.  
  
"Your what?" Mimi asked, thinking that she just didn't catch the last part.  
  
"M-my little brother… TK," Matt whispered setting the juice on the counter before he dropped it on the floor.  
  
Seeing Matt so distressed had Mimi extremely worried and without a thought she dropped her waffle engulfed fork and went to stand beside him. "TK? Is that the young man in the picture with you in your bedroom?"  
  
"Yeah… he… he died," Matt hesitated, pressing his open palms on the counter to support himself.  
  
"I'm so sorry Matt," Mimi whispered wrapping her arms around his waist.  
  
"It's all right, it happened almost seven years ago," Matt nodded closing his eyes to ward off tears he promised himself he wouldn't cry.  
  
"Seven years ago? TK… TK…" Mimi mumbled to herself trying to remember where she had heard that name before. Suddenly the answer hit her point blank in the face and her features contorted with a dazed a sorrow. "Takashi?"  
  
"H-how'd you know?" Matt eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"When I was in high school I was dating this guy named Tai and his little sister was absolutely in love with this boy named TK. When I went over to her house to visit with Tai she would ask me for advice on how to ask him out and stuff."  
  
"Her name was Kari, wasn't it?" Matt tried to laugh but it sounded as if he was choking.  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"She was all TK ever talked about, other then basketball," Matt said fondly.  
  
"When TK was murd-… found Kari was devastated," Mimi added sadly.  
  
"It's all right Mimi, you can say it, he was murdered," Matt said almost spitting out the last word.  
  
"I know," Mimi replied sorrowfully tightening her grasp on Matt.  
  
They stood there like that for a long time. Mimi daring not to shatter the silence that had wrapped itself around them like a chilling midnight breeze, Matt rigid and still in her arms willing himself not to shed any more tears for his lost brother.  
  
"Oh shit!" Mimi swore under her breath.  
  
"Huh?" Matt asked a little dazed.  
  
"I have to go Matt, I'm sorry," Mimi pulled away.  
  
"That's fine," he muttered a little distantly.  
  
"Are you sure you don't need me?" Mimi queried.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Matt assured giving her a weak smile.  
  
"All right," Mimi grabbed her purse from kitchen counter and headed for the door. "I'll call you later, kay?"  
  
"I'll be waiting," his mood was already changing for the better.  
  
After Mimi left Matt ate his waffles in no hurry, pouring on even more syrup then he had originally. Once full he left the dishes on the counter, deciding to wash them later, meaning that he'd probably leave then until they started to stink. He strolled soundlessly into his room, thinking about nothing really, only trying to sort through a mess of tangled emotions he felt inside.  
  
It was confusing, the way he felt. About life, about Mimi, about the case, about his past. Nothing made any logical sense any longer like the way it once did. When he was a child his life was so easy, hang with friends, protect little brother, attempt to get good grades, try to keep a steady girlfriend, and play music. It was all he ever asked for. After TK died it started getting harder. His little brother wasn't there anymore. He had no real purpose there was no one for him to protect. Friends no longer seemed the effort and a girlfriend no longer seemed that important. Music held no purpose to him either, it seemed almost pointless, playing music was never going to save lives. It was never going to make sure that an innocent child wouldn't be kidnapped, it was never going to stop a serial killer from killing, it was never going to stop a rapist from raping.  
  
That was the reason why Matt had joined the FBI, to protect the people that couldn't protect themselves. He promised himself he would do everything possible to make sure what happened to TK would never happen to anyone else.  
  
Matt found himself sitting at his desk staring at the diary Mimi had left behind, most likely by accident. His fingers ran over the aged leather, taking in the feeling of the almost slippery texture of the cover. His mind told him not to open the pages where Mimi had scribbled down her life, the very thoughts that made her who she was but something even stronger told him he had to. He carefully opened the cover, listening to the slight crackle of the old pages that dated back to years ago. He flipped meaninglessly through the pages, skimming over the word, vaguely going over her life.   
  
Something that was written in the more recent years caught his eye and he flipped back a few pages to find it. When he came across the passage he read it aloud to himself:  
  
"Well dear dairy, it seems I'm famous, although no one has any idea who I am. I'm all over the news and television! Too bad I couldn't get this kind of airtime when I was an actress! Like I've said before, life is getting extremely boring! I almost fell asleep in a meeting today! Can you believe it? Any ways, I've long ago decided to spice it up a little and thus made a few contacts and such, to get the right equipment to rip off the jewelry store on 3rd and 4th street. You know the one. I go shopping there all the time. At first I was scared, you know? I was thinking, 'what if I got caught?" but after a little while and a little adrenaline it felt so exhilarating! It was easy to find a broker and get rid of the evidence, then not wanting to rouse any suspicions, not that there were any, I donated the money to the women's shelter. Aren't I nice? As you know money isn't an issue cause I have it and all, but it isn't the money that attracts me to thievery. I think it's the chase, it's seeing the prize and doing everything you can to get it, it's the careful planning, and the rush, you know? Well anyway, I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I've decided to dabble a little while longer in the embezzlement (I just learned that word today, aren't you proud of me?) business. Yours truly Mimi."  
  
Matt kept staring at the page shocked to his very core. He read it over a few times just to make sure that what he was reading was what Mimi had written. It indeed was what he had read the first time. He couldn't believe that Mimi, his Mimi, was a thief! He never would have guessed.   
  
Matt quickly flipped to the next page to read the next entry and he read it even more intensely and more carefully then the first.  
  
"I have the most amazing news diary! I just stole… wait! Stole is such a negative word, I'll use lifted ^_^! I just lifted over a million dollars in collector's stamps! And I took like 12! Who ever thought stamps would be so expensive? I mean they're just tiny pieces of paper, right? Well after I got rid of the evidence (you know, find a broker then donate the money to charity) I thought I might as well make a name for myself, right? So I was thinking of getting me an alias and a call sign. Do you think I'd make a nice blond? I already have the perfect wig and theses neat blue contact lenses for my eyes! The only thing is I have no idea what to call my self, so I'll get back to you on that one. Until later, Mimi."  
  
'So it wasn't just a one time thing," Matt thought to himself, reading page after page.  
  
As the day and months flipped by before Matt's eyes he learned everything he had had ever wanted to know about Mimi Tachikawa and Lilly Barton. He learned where and how Mimi got her equipment, he learned how she chose her heists, he learned exactly how she pulled everyone of her jobs off, and he learned how she felt about everyone of them. There were so many that he began to skim over, or all together skipped over the unimportant ones looking for the pages with Mimi's thoughts of the last few days scribbled on them.   
  
When he finally found the pages he closed his eyes afraid of what he would read but too curious not to. Opening his eyes, Matt ran his numbing fingers over the black ink and took a shaky breath before reading the passage of the day he met Mimi in the museum.   
  
"Dear diary (how cliché is that?), today I met the most amazing man in the museum. He was so hot! He had these intense blue eyes, the most remarkable body, and his lips were so soft I thought I was going to melt!" Matt couldn't help but smile when he read her thoughts on him. "How did I know that, you ask? Because I kissed him! Can you believe it!?! I couldn't believe I did that myself and you should have seen the look on his face! He looked so cute standing there, gaping at me. There's this huge problem though. I swiped his wallet (by accident of course) and he's an FBI Agent working on guess whose case. Mine! Major bummer, eh? I felt like crying! Oh well, I got over it… that is until I met him at this really smelly bar. I couldn't take my eyes or my hands off him the rest of the night, or even the next day. He is definitely the most amazing lover I've ever had! The things his hands (and tongue) could do! Well I have to go plan for my biggest heist yet. I don't mean cash wise either, I'm planning on swiping the primary painting of the gallery's art showing on Monday, while Matt's there too!"  
  
Matt flipped the page, eager to learn exactly how Mimi was going to be in two places at once.  
  
"Hello again diary. I just met with a woman who's going to help me steal the thirty million-dollar painting today. She was almost an exact look alike, it was so cool! With a little make-up and the right clothes she could definitely fool Matt…. At least I hope she will. I've decided to drape the halls of the gallery in smoke then have Betty (that's my look alike) switch places with me while I steal the painting. Great idea, isn't it? I thought of it all by myself! I'll let you know how it goes later." Without even taking a breath he went on. "Hey, me again. The heist went amazingly well! I got the painting and the man, the very, very, very, hot sexy man! By the way, I think I'll try for those new Egyptian crowns that the museum has in a day or two, I've heard they're worth millions too, I should do some research! I've never been happier! But something horrible came up and ruined everything! It seems that I've been framed for murder! Isn't that horrible? How am I ever going to get to the bottom of this? I don't even know where to begin! Oh! Breakfasts ready (waffles again, ungh) so I'll write more later."  
  
The pages from that point on were blank and Matt closed the journal, returning it to the very spot he found it in. Too many thoughts were going through his mind for him to even move.  
  
"Shit," the word was quick and forced with disbelief.  
  
Taking a few deep breaths Matt ran his hands through his hair, then again, and leaded back into his chair trying to figure out where to go from there.   
  
"So my girlfriend's my case… that's… hmmm… and she doesn't like waffles!" Matt burst out not knowing which disturbed him more. The fact that his girlfriend was his case of the fact that she didn't like waffles. "This bites! Who doesn't like waffles? And why is Mimi a thief, my thief? Argh! Shit! Shit! Shit! …Well at least I know she didn't commit murder, right? …Shit!"  
  
Matt rose quickly from his seat and began to pace uneasily around the room.   
  
What was he ever going to do? As an FBI Agent it was his obligation to himself and the United States of America to turn her in. But as her boyfriend and lover he was obligated to her, to be there and protect her. Which part of himself should he choose to compromise? Should he leave behind the man or the Agent?  
  
If he sacrificed the Agent then everything he worked so hard for would be tarnished. Even if they believed him that he never knew, which was doubtful, his reputation would be shattered. He'd be stuck working dead end cases on minimum wage for the rest of his career.  
  
But if he left the man who's to say that he would ever find anyone that could make him feel the way that Mimi does? Who's to say that he'd never go out Friday nights, or sleep in Saturday mornings? He'd probably be left worse off then he was when he first met her.  
  
There was one definite decision he had to make though, one that would decide the rest of his life.   
  
The man of the Agent?  
  
***  
  
"Is there something wrong Matt?" Mimi asked, lying beside him on his couch, her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her.  
  
"Why?" Matt plastered a smile on his face as he flipped through the channels.  
  
"Because, you're acting… different," Mimi lifted her head to eye him suspiciously.   
  
After catching her stare, Matt shifted his eyes to the TV. Looking at her made him want to touch her, and touching her made him want to be with her forever. Something he wasn't sure he could afford to do, even after the heartache.  
  
"Nothing's wrong Mimi, I'm fine," to ease her suspicions Matt gave her a light kiss on the forehead before trying to get his body to relax then pulled the blanket around them tighter.  
  
"Are you sure?" Mimi asked her own body relaxing with satisfaction.  
  
"I'm sure," he whispered, breathing her in and wrapping his arm tighter around her.  
  
Matt watched Mimi drift off to sleep in his arms, her breathing becoming slow and constant, her eyes fluttering with dream. He tenderly brushed a few stray locks of her hair behind her ear and then stroked his fingers across her relaxed, peaceful features. His eyes glided over her sleeping form, taking in every detail before and if it was ever too late.  
  
Unlike Mimi, sleep left Matt behind that night to think over life a dozen times over and then some. It left Matt feeling unsettled at first but every time he looked at Mimi he felt content, ready to face what may come. More importantly though he decided what was more important to him, the man or the Agent. Looking at her innocent face and child like expression, Matt knew that the man was more important then the Agent could ever be. He knew that Mimi was more important.  
  
Hours had passed before Mimi awoke. Her eyes fluttered open to meet Matt's cool, confident, sea blue eyes staring back at her in amazement. She tilted her head slightly, stretched out in his arms, and smiled at him.   
  
"Morning sunshine," he said almost mockingly but he laced the words with an undying love.  
  
"Morning," she mumbled resting her head back on his chest.  
  
"Sleep well?"   
  
"Better then ever," her smile faded from her lips but remind in her eyes. "What time is it?"  
  
Taking up the remote, Matt changed the channels until he came across one with an early morning show on that displayed the time. "It's 6:04… 6:05." Matt corrected himself as the numbers changed.  
  
Mimi giggled sitting up and stretching even more. Feeling the cold air hit her back Mimi sunk back into Matt's embrace and pulled the blanket up to her chin.  
  
"I have to leave," she muttered regrettably, trying to get up once more but failing pleasantly.  
  
"You always have to go," Matt pouted pulling her closer to him.  
  
RRIIINNNGG!!!!!!!!  
  
Matt's phone jolted them both into a sitting position with surprise. Matt couldn't quite reach the phone so Mimi picked it up instead.  
  
"Hello, Ishida residents," She said pleasantly trying to get the sleep out of her voice.  
  
"Whoa! Did you get a sex change Ishida? Or did someone kick you in the balls?" A harsh mocking voice rang through the line.  
  
Mimi's brow furrowed with anger and that anger transferred to her voice, "Neither, this isn't Ishida, it's his girlfriend," Mimi spat protectively.  
  
Matt chucked warmly then took the phone from Mimi before Pierce could say something insulting to Mimi, which was exactly what he was doing when Matt held the phone to his ear.  
  
"Pierce!" Matt barked startling both Pierce and Mimi. "If I even catching you saying anything like that again, to anyone, I'll rip your face off, got it?"  
  
"…" Pierce was silent for a while before he began to talk, "Um… yeah sure…"  
  
"What do want?" Matt questioned rudely as he grinned at Mimi, who grinned back.  
  
"Lilly Barton killed another security guard last night," Pierce informed, "She got away with three hundred million dollars."  
  
"What?" Matt almost shrieked, jerking up from the couch.  
  
"The bitch struck again man, so get your ass down here," Pierce replied smugly.  
  
Matt ran his hand through his hair in frustration before answering, "All right, I'll be there in about half an hour."  
  
"Make it twenty minutes Ishida," Pierce ordered.  
  
"Half an hour," Matt's voice flowed like venom before he slammed the phone down.  
  
"What's happened Matt?" Mimi questioned getting up herself.  
  
"Lilly supposedly killed another guard," Matt let slip without even thinking. Realizing this he turned away from her, mentally smacking himself in the process.  
  
"You don't think she did it?" Mimi could hardly contain her excitement, but managed rather nicely.  
  
"I-I'm not sure," Matt lied, removing the past days clothing as he made his way to his room.  
  
Mimi trailed behind, picking up the carelessly discarded clothing as she went. She couldn't stand big messes like Matt could. "So you do?"  
  
"No!" Matt quickly assured, "I'm just saying that I… I'm not really sure what's going on. It could be her but I'm seriously doubting it."  
  
Mimi smiled as she deposited Matt's dirty clothes into the hamper in his room, then stopped to admire his sleek form, "It's too bad you have to leave." Mimi uttered licking her lips suggestively.  
  
Matt turned to her, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his lips, "Don't let that stop you."  
  
"I don't think I will," Mimi grinned, moving towards him in a predator like fashion.  
  
***  
  
"That's the second time this week Ishida. Are you planning to make this a regular thing?" Pierce taunted, making reference to Matt's lateness.  
  
"If I keep getting late for the same reason," Matt smirked knowing that Pierce would get where he was going, "then plan on me being late everyday."  
  
Pierce rolled his eyes before slamming the newest crime scene folder on his already cluttered desk. "They're doing an autopsy right now. We should have the results in a couple hours. I'm telling you man, we have to catch Lilly, she's getting more and more dangerous."  
  
Matt was a little shocked at the words that escaped Pierce's mouth. He never would have expected Pierce to say something like that, if fact he'd expect him to brag about how he was going to catch her, or what he'd do with her if he had her alone for five minutes. Matt sat for a while studying Pierce, something just wasn't right about him.  
  
When Pierce caught Matt staring at him he started to fidget with his tie, "What's up with you Ishida?"  
  
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Matt got straight to the point, he hated having to beat around the bush.  
  
"N-no of c-course not…" Pierce stuttered, blinking a few dozen times in the span of a few seconds.  
  
"Sure," Matt said purposely leaving a hint of disbelief in his voice as he turned to the files on his desk.  
  
"I-I need some c-coffee… you want some?" Pierce inhaled deeply heading for the door.  
  
"No, I'm fine," Matt smirked to himself, raising his eyes to watch Pierce sprint out of the room.  
  
Matt got up and shut the door to his office before turning on the computer and accessing the FBI's files. His fingers danced skillfully over the keys typing in the words "Pierce, Eddie" before he began his search. Seconds passed before the tell-a-tale ding echoed from the computer's speakers.  
  
"Bingo!" Matt muttered reading over Pierce's file. "Oh nice, past criminal record… Access denied… we'll see."  
  
Matt tapped his fingers over a few for keys and another bell rang.  
  
"Access granted, that's right baby, take it all!" Matt whispered mockingly at his computer. "Petty thefts… drug charges… armed robbery!"  
  
Exiting out of the files he had opened, Matt slumped back into his chair to think over a few things. First of all, he was positive that Mimi didn't kill anyone because not only had she explained everything in her diary but also she was with him when the murders started. Second, somebody with all the info on Lilly Barton was framing her for murder. Third, he had one possible suspect but no hard evidence.  
  
This was going to get extremely interesting.   
  
* * *  
  
Glancing down the gigantic marble hallways on each side of her, Mimi inhaled deeply, gathering every once of concentration she could muster. Pulling out a small metallic canister from her belt Mimi bent down and rolled it gently across the marble floor, making sure it stop directly between her and the room the held the objects of her desire.  
  
"Three… two… one," she whispered her breath shallow and quick with excitement.  
  
The instant she hit one she tapped a button on her trusty remote control. As a thin spray of mist seeped out from the canister, a magnetic pulse released from a device on her wrist wiped out the programming of every security camera in the museum, successfully influencing the tapes to play in a constant loop of the last five minutes.   
  
As the mist spread it revealed thin red lasers that would sound an alarm if tripped. Taking another deep breath, Mimi stepped closer, taking in every laser to determine the best route to go. Unlike a TV show or movies she couldn't just flip over the evenly spaced lasers, due to the fact that they weren't evenly spaced and didn't line across the floor.  
  
Lying on her stomach, Mimi rolled under the first three lasers then ever so carefully she rose from the ground. It took her minutes to weave gingerly in and out of the lasers, making careful note not touch any of them. When she was clear of the lasers she made her way through the Egyptian gallery to the room where the museum had placed the crowns that the royalty of Egypt use to wear.  
  
Still after all these years Mimi still felt giddy and excited at the prospect of stealing anything. Her heart was beating rapidly against her ribs and her palms were sweating slighting beneath her black leather gloves. She stopped to admire other ancient artifacts of Egypt but continued on looking for the vestiges of her mission.   
  
Smiling, Mimi stepped closer to the Pharaoh's crown. She pulled out a pair of wire. and placed them gently on the base of the stand that held the ancient crown. Pushing another button, an electrical pulse vibrated through the display, knocking out all alarms systems.  
  
"Beautiful," she whispered fingering the crown lightly before putting into a bag that hung at her hips. She did this for all three crowns that resided in that room and before turning to leave placed a single white lily where one of the crowns had once been. After admiring her handy work Mimi turned to leave as silently as she came.   
  
Gasping she brought her fingers to her mouth with shock. Her heart seemed to skip more then a few beats and a feeling of dread flooded over her. Standing before her was a man confined in black, his deep sapphire eyes shining, with thick locks of golden blond hair falling over his eyes.  
  
"Hello Mimi," Matt greeted and despite the situation, he smiled at her.  
  
"M-Matt," Mimi gasped, tears springing to her eyes.  
  
How had he known who she was? She was still wearing her disguise. How could she have been so careless as to let Matt catch her? How could she have been so stupid? Her heart seemed to shatter with the knowledge that now he truly knew who she was, that now he could judge her by her actions.  
  
"B-but how? How did you know?" Mimi stuttered refusing to look at any part of him led alone his eyes.  
  
"That's my little secret," he laughed stepping closer.  
  
Shamefully she looked up to see him standing directly in front of her. Mimi's eyes were wide with wonder as she watched Matt lift his fingers and delicately run them over her cheekbone, then through the strands of blond hair that made up her wig. Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss on her trembling lips to assure her that nothing had changed between, that somehow he had known all along.  
  
"W-why?" she murmured still entranced by his kiss, "Aren't you going to arrest me?"  
  
"Now why on earth would I do that?" he grinned praying she wouldn't reject him, "I was thinking of whisking you away France. I hear they have some exquisite jewels there."  
  
Again, Mimi looked shocked as the color began to return to her features. "You," she pointed at him, "want to take me to France?" She then pointed at herself with a skeptical look of question on her face.  
  
"Paris not good enough for you?" Matt frowned playfully. "Fine. I'll take you anywhere you want to go. Hawaii? Jamaica? Ireland? Vancouver? Japan?"  
  
"Japan sounds wonderful," Mimi sighed, her eyes shining with mirth. "But before we plan on leaving the country we should probably concentrate on leaving the museum."  
  
"Good point," Matt nodded, "so hoe were you panning on leaving?"  
  
Mimi rolled her eyes exhaling loud enough for Matt to here before taking the lead. "This way."  
  
She led him quickly through the halls of the museum, deciding to take a different route, unsure of Matt's abilities.   
  
Quickly turning the corner with Matt a few steps behind her, Mimi stopped dead in her tracks, dread draining all color from her face.   
  
Seeing Mimi halt so quickly made Matt desist abruptly himself. She glanced at him nervously never once turning her head. Matt nodded reassuringly, and quietly removed his gun from its holster.  
  
"Well if it ain't the bitch herself," a voice Matt knew well taunted Mimi "I'd never imagine meeting you here."  
  
"Who are you?" she questioned, her head held high with fake confidence.  
  
"I'm the genius who's been framing you," he confessed grinning viciously, "Not to bad for an amateur, eh?"  
  
"Now that I know who you are," Mimi asked cleverly, "What makes you think I'm going to let you get away with this?"  
  
"Hmmm… let's see," he mocked pulling out his gun and cocking it, "because I think I'm going to kill you."  
  
Matt had decided that was enough. Taking a few deep breaths he sprinted out as if he had just arrived.  
  
Pointing his gun at Mimi's back he spoke up, "What are you doing here Pierce?"  
  
"I-I…I," Pierce stuttered, eyes wide. "We're p-partners remember? I-I looked through your… notes and figured it out."  
  
Matt was mentally laughing his ass off. Did Pierce really think he was that stupid? "Good job Pierce, you're smarter then I thought," Matt lied through partially clenched teeth.  
  
"Of course I am," Pierce muttered unsure if Matt had truly believed his lie.  
  
"Unfortunately I didn't make notes," Matt sneered with anger.  
  
"You tricked me!" Pierce screamed tightening his hold on his gun trying to figure out whom he wanted to shoot more. Matt or Mimi.  
  
"Wasn't that what you were trying to pull on me?" Matt's eyes narrowed dangerously as Pierce aimed for Mimi.  
  
Mimi's heart was beating so hard it was hard for her to breathe. The man named Pierce was tense, his trigger finger on the brink of pulling back the trigger. Out of all the ways that she imagined being caught it was nothing like this. She had just imagined being surrounded then handcuffed, not held at gunpoint.  
  
"You're not going to get away with this Pierce," Matt threatened.  
  
"Oh yes I am," Pierce nodded, beads of sweat soaking his brow. "You're a pretty thing," Pierce commented desperately towards Mimi. "What do you say Lilly? You and me, the world'll never know what hit it. I'll kill Ishida then we can escape? You have nothing to loose."  
  
Slowly the corners of Mimi's lips formed a smile that only Pierce could see. "I have my world to loose."  
  
The corner of Pierce's eyes began to twitch with rage. "THEN YOU'LL DIE WITH HIM!!!" Pierce screamed.  
  
As quickly as she could Mimi squeezed her eyes shut until they hurt waiting for the inevitable. As her hands clamped over her ears the booming roar of a gun setting off echoed through the halls leaving her ears to ring.  
  
Seconds that seemed like eons ticked by and when she didn't feel the shooting pains travel through her body she opened her eyes tediously fearing what she may behold.  
  
Eddie Pierce lay twitching on the floor, blood spewing from the bullet hole that lay in the center of his forehead pooling out onto the gleaming marble floor. His cold soulless eyes open with a dreadful expression of hate and fear still encased by death. She could smell the lingering gunpowder in the air left by Matt's gun.  
  
Mimi nearing fell to the floor with horror as her whole body began to tremble with anxiety and distress. When her stomach started to lurch she turned her head unable to behold the man's lifeless body any longer.  
  
"Mimi," Matt whispered as her knees gave out on her. Gracefully he caught her before she hit the ground. "Mimi we have to leave.  
  
Trying to clear her head Mimi nodded her eyes tearing over. She quickly wiped away the traveling tears before they hit the cold floor. Using Matt as support she picked herself up.  
  
Quietly at first they heard footsteps echoing throughout the hall, as they grew louder and louder the urgency to leave increased.  
  
"Mimi I want you to leave?" Matt ordered abruptly, "Go to your house and pack some bags, then meet me at my apartment. I've already bought plane tickets and packed my bags. We'll leave as soon as I get there."  
  
"I can't leave you here Matt," Mimi cried.  
  
"I'll be fine. I can make up a good enough story to buy us some time so we can leave," Matt assured, "now go!"  
  
"I love you," Mimi agreed, pulling Matt in for a brief passionate kiss Mimi took off down the corridor opposite to where the footsteps were approaching.  
  
"What's going on here?" a middle aged security guard demanded, his gun pulled on Matt.  
  
Matt was about to turn around when the guard ordered him not to.  
  
"Drop your weapon slowly! Don't make any sudden movements!" by the nervous note in the guards quivering voice Matt could tell nothing like this had ever happened to him.  
  
Taking his index finger off the trigger Matt held the gun out so the guard could and cautiously set it down with a quiet thud.  
  
"It's all right," Matt's voice was calm and reassuring yet still held authority. "I'm an FBI Agent. My badge it in my back pocket."  
  
Cautiously the museum guard stepped closer, his gun still raised. Quickly he swiped Matt's badge from his back pocket and opened it revealing the card identifying Matt as an FBI Agent.  
  
Sighing a huge breath of relief the guard loosened his grip on his weapon. "What happened here sir?"  
  
"Have you heard of Lilly Barton?" Matt questioned picking up his gun when the guard signaled it was okay.  
  
"You mean the cat burglar?" the balding man asked worriedly.  
  
Matt nodded walking over to Pierce's body to check his pulse. "We were tracking her here when she killed my partner."  
  



	5. Cheating Destiny: Conclusion

Authors note: Last part yay! This is where it all comes together, and surprisingly it's a happy ending! So enjoy! Later days.   
  
Mimi sat ridged on Matt's couched, anticipation and dread filling her every thought. Her bags lay beside Matt's in his room waiting for his return. Unable to stand the suspense, Mimi stood up and began to pace around the room, her hands trembling with expectancy.  
  
She ceased, looking fearfully at the dark wooden door when she heard dozens of heavy footsteps racing up the stairs that were right outside Matt's door.  
  
Mimi cried out in fear and tripped back onto the ground when a massive boot kicked in the heavy door. Quick and swiftly a half a dozen armed men ran in and surrounded her quivering form.  
  
"Don't move a muscle Lilly Barton!" The leader ordered lowering his gun at her smugly.   
  
Stiff with fear, Mimi gazed up at them, tears in her eyes. There was no way she was going to escape. The tears that fell from her eyes were not of pain or of fear but of the deep ache in her heart knowing that Matt had betrayed her.  
  
The next people to rush in were FBI Agents, then local police, all in the matter of seconds. Two burly men pulled her to her feet roughly then handcuffed her hands behind her back.  
  
As they pulled her towards the broken down door she caught a glimpse of Matt coming sluggishly up the stairway. Their eyes met and in those ice-cold orbs Mimi found no hint of remorse or regret, that all in itself filled her with rage.  
  
"HOW COULD YOU? YOU SON OF A BITCH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, tears blurring her vision.  
  
Mimi had come so quietly and so easily that the two Agents holding her had a loose grip on her. Her size alone made them underestimate her and in one sudden burst of energy she flew from their grip and with her hands still handcuffed behind her back she tackled Matt.  
  
He hit the floor hard, her tiny body collapsed on top on him.  
  
"I loved you!" she cried, her tears spattering his face. "I loved you and you betrayed me!"  
  
As briskly as before the armored FBI Agents grabbed Mimi and pulled her off Matt. Freeing him of her weight and her tears.  
  
The men looked questionably at Matt, waiting for him to speak.  
  
Clearing his throat he wiped away her angry tears. "Take her out," he whispered in a voice free from emotion.  
  
They dragged her out; the last words that he had heard escaping her mouth were her screaming his name in threats.  
  
"How do you do it Ishida?" Agent Terry chucked, slapping Matt on the back as congratulations.  
  
"Just doing my job Terry," Matt tried but couldn't quit force a smile.  
  
"What was that about her loving you though?" Terry questioned pulling on a pair of latex gloves to investigate the crime scene.  
  
"Why do you think she met me here?" Matt muttered his eyes remained forward with no expression on his face. "It was all part of the plan to catch her."  
  
***  
  
"We the jury, here by find the suspect in question, Mimi Tachikawa, guilty of all crimes," a tall brunette issued.  
  
"Thank you jury," The judge nodded and the juror took her seat.  
  
"I hear by sentence to you to death, for the murder of three men and the theft of over nine hundred and fifty million dollars in goods," the judge ordered, the sound of wood smashing against wood rang through Mimi's ears and echoed throughout the courtroom.  
  
The color drained completely from her face and her body and mind went numb with disbelief. Policemen and FBI Agents escorted her from the courthouse to an armored car waiting just outside. Photography flashes splattered her vision with deep black spots, but that didn't matter to her, she was on the way to death road.  
  
Reaching the high security prison they escorted her to a tiny cell in which she would spend the last years of her life.  
  
Mimi spent the next few days curled up on the small cot in the corner of her cell. She didn't eat, didn't sleep, didn't cry, just lay there staring at the concrete wall. She no longer cared, the man she loved and thought loved her back betrayed her, and she was stupid enough to walk into his trap.  
  
Night fell once again and the loud bang of the powerful lights shutting down made her ears ring. Hours passed endlessly for her, each one blurring into the next, each one bringing more pain then the last.  
  
"Mimi," the whispered voice of her lover resounded off the walls of her cold cell bringing tears to her eyes.  
  
She didn't turn to face the open bars, knowing that it was just her mind playing cruel jokes. Instead she sunk deeper beneath the covers.  
  
"Mimi!" this time, the whisper was more urgent, more real then the last.  
  
Shaking, Mimi sat up to see a shrouded figure standing at the bars that caged her. She could see nothing but his shimmering blue eyes in the dim light that seemed to fade more and more with each passing second.  
  
Slowly Mimi rose, the blankets falling to her feet. Gingerly she stepped out of them, to approach the man standing a few feet away. She gave him a cold deathly stare that shattered the heart within his chest.  
  
"What do you want Matt?" she whispered, each word more chilling then the last.  
  
"To rescue you," he whispered back, remorse now present in his eyes. "To take you away from this hell hole, to make you happy again."  
  
"I trusted you once, why should I trust you again?" Mimi sneered, holding back tears, trying to keep her dignity in grasp.  
  
"Because, I love you," Matt promised.  
  
"You don't betray the people you love!" Mimi snapped unable to hold back her tears any longer.  
  
"It was the only way Mimi, I swear," he said her name with a love and passion that she longed to hear. "I had to get the FBI off our tails."  
  
"By framing me for murder? I'm going to rot in here Matt! I'm going to rot in here and then I'm going to die!" Mimi cried quietly so as not to wake anyone in the nearest cells.  
  
"I'm more sorry then you can ever imagine, but it was the only way. I've erased every record of you and I, Mimi. We can start over again, we can be together, and nobody will ever find us. According to government records we don't even exist." Matt explained trying to make her understand.  
  
Mimi looked at him long and hard to try and determine truth from fiction. She found all the confirmation she needed in his eyes.  
  
"Promise me you'll never do that to me again," Mimi pleaded wiping away her tears.  
  
"For as long as I live Mimi," Matt promised grasping her fingers between the bars and kissing the tips, "I will never hurt you again."  
  
She smiled the first genuine smile she had in days, "Get me out."  
  
Grinning back Matt pulled out a key and a remote. Pushing a button the internal locks shifted open, then he unlocked the last lock with the key. They had three minutes to get out before it was discovered that Mimi was missing.  
  
Weaving their way through the security systems of the prison Matt led Mimi to the basement where they escaped through the sewers. They exited the sewers a dozen or so blocks from the prison and proceeded to the airport to where Matt had locked their things away until the flight.  
  
"Kari Maxwell?" Mimi raised an eyebrow when she saw her passport.  
  
"I think it's fitting, since I am Takeru Maxwell," Matt smiled taking Mimi's tiny hand in his own.  
  
"I guess you're right," Mimi agreed walking through the hundreds of people in the airport to where she would board a plane to Egypt with Matt.  
  
***  
  
Dear diary:  
  
It's been so long hasn't it? It's been months since Matt rescued me from prison and certain death. I thought would never be able to forgive him for the pain he has caused me but I have been proved wrong. It seems I love him more now then ever, and the memories of the past few weeks have become nothing more then grains of sand taken away by the wind.   
  
We have made a new life for ourselves. I have given up the life of crime and we are now living off the millions of dollars that I have hidden in an offshore account. We also decided to get a new look for ourselves. I have dyed my hair black! Can you believe it? Matt went all out and dyed his hair red! RED! At first I thought it would look horrible but it makes him look so sexy!   
  
Matt and I have decided to travel the world. How romantic is that? We're in Ireland now. The country is so beautiful! While visiting one of the ancient castles Matt proposed to me! I was so happy I cried! He gave me a ring and everything. Sadly though, we aren't going to actually get married, at least not officially. That would leave too much paperwork, too much evidence. Oh well, at least I still have him, right?  
  
Well, I guess this is goodbye diary. My last farewell to you, for I will no longer record my life on your beloved pages. I have made this decision all on my own, with no persuasion from Matt at all. The FBI is still looking for me and has extended their search to Matt as well. It would just be too dangerous for now. You can tell it breaks my heart to leave you behind in the raging seas that beat themselves endlessly against the jagged rocks of Ireland. You can tell by the tears I leave on your pages whose fate will be washed away with the ink I have used to record my thoughts and feelings, hopes and dreams, even my fears and nightmares. Farewell one last time my dear diary, farewell.  
  
Sincerely yours,  
  
Mimi Tachikawa   
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
